Air-gun



(No Model.) y

S. D. ENGLE.

AIR GUN.

\ No. 442,025. Patented Deo. 2, 1890.

l UNITED STATES `PATENT OEEICE.-

STEPHEN D. ENGLE, OF II'AZLE'ION, PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR-GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,025, dated December2, 1890.

Application filed March 3, 1890. Serial No. 342,467. (No model.)

To all. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN D. ENGLE, of Hazleton, in the county ofLuzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and ImprovedAir-Gun, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of air-guns in whichthe current of air by which the projectile is expelled from thegun-barrel is generated by a spring-actu ated plunger; and the object ofmy invention is to produce a neat, simple, and inexpensive gun havingfew parts to get out of order, and in which the parts are so arrangedthat the gun is very easily operated and a missile expelled therefromwith great velocity and precision. l l

To this end my invention consists in certain features of constructionand eombin ations of parts,whieh will be hereinafterf ull y described,

4 and specifically pointed out in the claims.`

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partofthis specification, in which similar letters Lof reference indicatecorn-:spending` parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a broken vertical longitudinal section of a gun embodying myinvention; Fig. 2, a transverse section of the same on the line of Fig.l; Fig. 3, a transverse section on the line y y of Fig. l, and Fig. 4 atransverse section on the line z e' of Fig. l.

' The gun is of ordinary musket shape, having a barrelA and stock B, andin the barrel is fitted a tube O, which is preferably of metal. The tubeC extends the entire length of the barrel A, and is slightly pinched orflattened at the breech, as best shown in Fig. 2, to prevent the missilewhich may be. inserted therein from falling out at the breech. The gunis also provided with a removable pin .1), which extends through thestock B, and the point of which terminates in the fiattened end of thetube C. This prevents any small article that might pass between thefiattened sides of the tube from falling through the tube, and alsoaffords means of cleaning the tube or of forcing therefrom any objectwhich may be stuck therein. This may be done in the usual way by forcinga iiexible rod through the tube.

Fixed lengthwise in the stock 3 is a tube E, of larger diameter than thetube C, with having an annular groove J therein, and hav` ing itsforward end provided with a packing J 2, of leather, rubber, or othersuitable material, which fits air-tight in the tube.

Fixed to the plunger J is a rod K, which is doubled, as shown, so as toform aloop therein, and to the lower end of the loop is attached the rodL, which is likewise doubled, asshown in Fig. 3, and extends through thehole H of the plate Il and into the holes N of the plate N, which isattached to the butt of the stock B. It will thus be seen that the rodsKand L are simply looped or doubled over each other, so that when therod L is pulled back the rod K will be pulled also; but when the rod Lis pushed in, as hereinafter described, one rod will slide within theother.

Coiled around the rods K and L within the.

tube E is a strong spiral spring M, oneend of which rests against theclosed lower end of the tube, and the other presses'against the lowerend of the plunger .l and4 normally holds the plunger in the upper partof the tube. Fixed to the rodL so as to be movable longitudinally intherecess B is a handle L by means of which the gun is primed or set.

Pivoted in the recess B2 on the under side of the stock B by the pin ais a lever P, having one end formed into an upwardly-projecting catch P,which extends through a slot E in the under side of the tube E, andhaving the other cud formed into a depending trigger P2, which projectsbelow the gunstoclc B in the usual manner and is inclosed by an ordinaryguard Q, which is attached to the gunstock as in ordinary guns. Thefront edge of the catch P is beveled, as shown, to

enable it to slide easily over the rear edge of `the plunger J.

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The gun is provided with the usual sights, and is operated as follows:Drop a missile, preferably a ball or shot, in the tube C, and it will becaught and held in place between the flattened sides of the tube or willrest upon the end of the pin D. Then grasp the handle L and pull it backagainst the plate N. This will pull back the rod K and plunger J,compressing the spring M, and when the plunger is opposite the catch Pthe catch, being actuated by the spring b, will project into the grooveJ of the plunger and hold the same in position. When thehandle Lispulled back, t-he ends of the rod L will project through the holes Nof the plate N; but when the catch P engages the 4plunger J the handlemay be pushed back into its former position and the rodL will slidewithin the rod K, and its projecting ends will be retracted, so as toleave the plate Nsmooth for the shoulder. The ends of the rod L shouldbe headed to prevent them from being pushed through the holes N.

To discharge the gun, pull the trigger P2, and as this slantsrearwardly, as shown, the action will raise the trigger and the forwardend of the lever P, depress the rear end of the lever, and release thecatch P from the plunger J. The spring M will then force the plungerforward. As the plunger J rushes forward, the air will be forced fromthe tube E and passage F into the tube C, and as the passage F and tubeC are smaller than the tube E the air will be condensed and the missilein the tube C will be forced out with great velocity. and accuracy.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that the gun containscomparatively few parts, and that the operative parts are all in thebreech of the gun, thus making it evenly balanced, neat in appearance,veryconvenient to use, and giving sufficient length to the barrel toenable it to shoot accurately.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. An air-gun comprising a barrel, a stock having atransverse longitudinally-extending recess B through it, a tube leadingfrom said recess and communicating at its forward end with the bore, aplunger working in the tube, a rod connected with the plunger, a secondrod having a sliding connection at its inner end with the first-namedrod and extending into the recess B', a handle on the second rod withinsaid recess,a spring Within the tube throwing the plunger forward, and atrigger mechanism whereby when the plunger is held in its retractedposition the handle, with its rod, may be pushed inward and not operatedby the plunger-rod in the forward throw thereof, substantially as setforth.

2. An air-gun having the openingof the barrel iattened or pinched at theVend next the breech and having suitable means for forcing air throughsaid barrel, substantially as described.

3. An air-gun having a suitable barrel, means for forcing the airthrough the same, and a pin projecting through the breech or stock andterminating in the rear end of the barrel, substantially as described.

et. An air-gun havinga barrel with the rear end of the opening thereinpinched or flattened,`apin projecting through the stock and terminatingin the end of the barrel, a tube located in the gun-stock andcommunicating with said barrel, a springactuated plunger movablelongitudinally in said groove and having an annular groove or recesstherein, means, as shown, for retracting said plunger, and a leverpivoted below the plunger-tube, having one end formed into acatchprojecting through a slot in the plunger-tube to engage the plunger, andhaving the other end formed into a depending trigger by which the levermay be actuated and the plunger released, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a gun having a spring-actuated plunger locatedin the stock, of a trigger-lever pivoted below said plunger, havingformed thereon at its rear end an upwardly-projecting catch to engagethe plun- 9 ger and a depending downward and rearward inclined triggerat its forward end to release the same, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the barrel Aand tube C and the slotted stock B,having the tube E and passage F therein, of the plunger J, having grooveJ therein, rods K and L and handle L for retractin g the plunger, thespring M, for forcing it forward, and means, as a spring-lever P, havingcatch P at its rear end, and trigger P2, integral with and `inclineddownward and rearward from theV front end of said lever, for trippingand releasing the plunger, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the tube E and plunger J therein, of the rods Kand L, looped together within the tube, as shown, and having means, ashandle L', on the outer end of rod L, in rear of the tube, for operatingthe same, substantially as described.

S. The combination, with the tube E and plunger J, of the trigger-leverP, having the catch P and trigger P2 thereon at its rear and forwardends, respectively, and means, as spring b, pressing the forward end ofthe lever down, substantially as described.

STEPHEN D. ENGLE.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. BARTON, A. HOFFMAN.

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